Hello and happy Friday! Thank you for all the continuous support and love for all my stories. I know I haven't been updating a lot, but I'll try to work out a schedule to get chapters out more regularly. But I can't promise anything.
Also, for those who don't know, I'm currently writing three other GMW stories. Complicated Web of Love, We Could Be The Greatest Team and Wild Side. So, if you want, check them out and let me know what you think!
Siennese: He is and she really does! You'll just have to wait and see and you are right about that! And it will, it's all about personality...
originalguest: Yes, yes and me too! I'm excited for it, though I'm not sure I reviewed the last one. If I didn't, I'm sorry. And I understand.
naelacy: Hehe, me too! And thank you! That's so sweet!
volleyballer82: Haha, yeah kind of. And same here. I got you, it's all good...lol
violet1429: You were right and good guesses! Exactly! And that's what I'm hoping for!
Guest: Thank you!
Jen: She's so scheming! Oh, she'll definitely take her down and you'll have to read to find out! Oh, totally.
Guest: Maybe?
Allie: Thank you. Possibly? Maya is and Missy could on all accounts and I love Farkle! Had to bring him in. That would be something wouldn't it?
Guest: Thank you and here it is!
Enjoy!
The silence that filled the air around the two wasn't a good sign in Lucas' book. Now, he didn't except her to be overjoyed and squealing with delight at the suggestion, but he thought she would at least be happy. Offer him a smile or something? But the wide eyes and stunned expression proved him wrong. Big time. And so, he back tracks as best he can to dig himself out of this awkward situation.
"Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you with the idea. I just thought it was a nice gesture," he says, swallowing his pride.
Quickly shaking her head and ridding herself of crazy thoughts, Riley swiftly replies in a soft voice, "You don't need to apologize. I do. You didn't frighten me, just caught me off guard and surprised me. No one's really asked me out for coffee and you have to know that it really is a sweet gesture. You're quite the gentleman, Lucas, but maybe-"
"Another time?" Lucas finishes for her, his smile not as bright was before.
"I. uh," Riley stutters, not being able to find the right words.
"I can see I've managed to do it again. I'll just go now," Lucas hurriedly concludes, rapidly turning on his heels to exit the store.
He was right outside the doors when Riley sees what's happening and yells, "Lucas! Wait!" surprising them both as she follows him.
"Riley?" he questions with raised eyebrows and confusion written all over his face.
"I'm sorry for acting like an idiot in there. Trust me when I say that I really appreciate the gesture, but like I said earlier, you're the first guy to really ask me out. Well, not like ask me out, ask me out, but you know," Riley starts rambling and feeling even stupider as she feels her cheeks heating up from embarrassment. "Anyways, I'm new to all this, but I would like to talk to you and get to know you. How about you stop by after work and we can start over?" shocked with how open she's being.
However, the smile on Lucas' face lets her know it was the right call to make.
"Okay. I'll be there," he agrees with a huge grin.
"All right. I'll see you later," Riley nods quickly and then runs back inside.
Seconds later, she hears Lucas' truck roar to life and when she casually glances over her shoulder, she catches his smile and wave, making her smile in return.
Looking at the now empty space, she's in her own world until a voice mentions, "That was very mature of you," startling her and making her scream out.
"Damn it, Maya. You know I hate it when you sneak up on me," Riley groans, holding her hands to her chest.
"Sorry, Riles. This time I didn't mean to scare you. I was calling your name as I came closer," Maya defends, now standing next to her friend.
"Oh, sorry," Riley mumbles, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "I guess I was in Rileyville."
"You were and it's totally fine," Maya giggles. "I'm just happy you have a reason to go back there. It's been a while."
"No. Lucas isn't the reason," Riley swiftly corrects, not allowing Maya to take this out of context.
"If you say so. But from where I'm standing, it looks a hell of a lot different," Maya announces bluntly, stating the facts she just witnessed.
"I so say so. Please, just drop it," Riley snaps, glaring at the blonde.
"Okay, okay," Maya settles, putting her hands up in surrender. "But I did mean it, Riley. That was very sensible of you, allowing Lucas to come back so you two can talk. I told you he was going to be your friend."
"Thanks, I guess. It's not that big of a deal and I did feel bad for the way I handled the situation. It was very stupid on my end. And, I hate to admit it, but you could be right. Lucas could potentially be a good friend," Riley sighs, admitting the truth to a smiling Maya.
"Uh huh," Maya hums, holding her head high as Riley pushes the gloating girl away.
"Yeah, yeah, brag all you want. But we still have a store to run," Riley grumbles, wanting this conversation to end.
"Aye aye, Captain," Maya fake salutes she walks away with an extra bounce in her step.
OoOoOoOo
For the next half hour, the two check the store to make sure everything is stocked, ready to go and also being to tidy up the back room, wanting to get their classes started within the next week or so.
With how well the store did yesterday and the huge turnout, Riley wasn't expecting a big crowd today, but as soon as the open sign was lit, tons of people started to enter the store on a mission.
By the lunch hour, the crowd still hadn't died down and even Josh had to come out from his office to help with the customers. Riley was running around like a chicken with their head cut of, wanting to make sure everyone was getting the attention they deserved and when she thought she couldn't take anymore, an angel can into to the save the day. No, it wasn't a real angel. But one of her best friend's, Farkle. She just didn't know it yet.
He walks into the store with a smile on his face and then turns his expression into surprise as it's real busy. He immediately jumps into action, rushing over to Maya and telling her he could take over the register so she could help on the floor with customers. She obliges with a quick hug and kiss to the cheek as she goes to the first person she sees and does her job.
On the few seconds of downtime he has, he takes a look around the store and feels proud of the accomplishment his friend has achieved. And, he was really amazed by the extremely large crowd. Not that she or the store didn't deserve it, because they both did. But the amount of people in the space, at the same time felt a little overwhelming and he could see why Riley and Maya were running around like they were.
Finally, after what feels like forever, but really only a few hours after the lunch crowd, the store clears out, only leaving a few stragglers behind as Riley, Maya and Josh finally huddle around the counter and catch their breath.
"Damn, Riles. It's only the second day and we're about to sell out," Josh sighs, placing his elbows on the counter and leans forward with a smile on his face.
"We're not going to sell out, Uncle Josh. But we will be low in certain items for a few days. Who knew the store would be this popular?" Riley states in astonishment.
"It's probably not the store. I would say it's probably the idea of it and the people," a voice says from behind, startling the three.
"Farkle!" Riley screams in pure happiness as she runs over to hug her friend. "When do you get here?"
"Oh, a few hours ago," Farkle answers with a big smile as he glances down at his watch and over to blonde who has a guilty smile on her face. "I already saw one of you and was manning the register."
Riley's eyes widen in shock as she catches Farkle's smirk and turns around to see Maya looking anywhere but them.
"'Maya! You knew he was here and you didn't tell me?" Riley shouts in shock.
"I'm sorry. As you saw, we had a hectic day. And, I kind of forgot he was here," Maya admits, again giving Farkle an apologetic smile.
"I love you too, Maya," Farkle teases, walking over to the sheepish blonde and giving her a proper hug. "Josh, it's good to see again," greeting the older brunette and shaking his hand.
"You too, Farkle. And we're still in our twenties, not fifties," Josh laughs, giving Farkle a bro hug.
The four chat for a few minutes until a customer needs assistance which Josh and Maya willing attend to.
"You two, go catch up in the back. Josh and I have it our here," Maya suggests and promises with a smile and pushes the two in the direction towards the back.
Riley nods a thank you and then leads Farkle to her office, excited to talk with the genius.
"How've you been, Riles?" Farkle asks with concern and interest as they both sit down around her desk.
"I've been okay. A while back I still had some nightmares," Riley mumbles, looking down at her lap.
"Did they suddenly come back or have you always had them? At least some horrific moments?" Farkle questions in a serious tone.
"Um, for the most part I've always had them. They were gone for a short time, but more often than not I have them and have gotten used to sleeping no more than four or five hours a night," Riley reveals in a soft voice.
"Does Maya know?" Farkle inquires with scrunched eyebrows.
"She's, uh, know a little bit," Riley responds, glancing up to see Farkle's blank expression.
"Dos Josh know?" Farkle adds, wanting and needing to know the truth.
"Oh, god. No!" Riley quickly answers, shaking her head.
"Why doesn't anyone know? This is something that needs to be talked about," Farkle demands, his voice becoming firm and loud.
"Because it's none of their business. It's my life and I'll live it however way I choose. Besides, you know how Maya and Josh are. The second I tell them about my reoccurring nightmares, they'll be on my back, watching my every move and making sure I'm okay. I don't need or want that anymore. I'm not a child and I'm dealing with it on my own. And no, Farkle, this doesn't need to be talked about. I've been managing just fine with the way things have been," Riley snaps back, her voice also rising as she's getting her point across.
"I don't think you are, but I won't push you. I know this is your life and we're all just trying to help. I see that you don't want our help, but too bad. We're all here for you, you know that. We are your friends, your family. And since we're being open right now, something has to be bothering you if you're still having nightmares. I know the loss was the worst moment of your life, but maybe you should go back and talk to someone. Anyone. Maybe you need to just unleash everything and start over again. With a clear mind and new outlook. I'm not forcing you to do this, but please, think about it. Okay." Farkle encourages with pleading eyes.
"I know. And I appreciate it. Thank you, really. If things get worse, I promise I'll go talk to someone. But for now, I'm handling it my way. Understood?" Riley proclaims, looking Farkle right in the eyes.
"Understood," Farkle nods, knowing his limits and not pushing the subject further.
The two move on and talk for a few more minutes before deciding to go back out and relieve Maya and Josh from the floor with hopes that store is still standing.
OoOoOoOo
"So, what time do you close?" Farkle wonders some time later when the store is empty and quiet.
"Um, in thirty minutes actually," Riley smiles, glancing at her watch and then out the door to the fading sun.
"Cool. Any plans tonight?" Farkle continues, jumping up to sit on the counter.
"Not really. I'm meeting someone here later, but after that, Maya and I are free," Riley replies casually, not wanting to make the talk of Lucas a big deal.
"Someone, hmm? Is it a guy?" Farkle wonders out loud and wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh my, gosh! Shut up," Riley laughs, hitting Farkle's shoulder multiple times. "I'll have you know that-"
"Oh, um, sorry to interrupt," a deep voice suddenly announces, stopping Riley and Farkle's conversation.
"Lucas. Hi," Riley smiles, feeling her cheeks turning warm. "You're not interrupting at all. You're earlier than I expected. I'm actually still open for another fifteen minutes. Do you mind waiting?"
"Actually, I don't want to intrude. I should have known you were taken when I asked you out earlier. I'm sorry. I'll see you around, Riley," Lucas quickly states, giving Riley and her 'guest' a nod before turning around and leaving the store.
Riley watches Lucas leave and then looks at Farkle who shrugs his shoulders and then point at the door for her to go after him. Without thinking, she does and instantly spots and walking down the street to his truck.
"Lucas! Wait!" she yells out, increasing her speed and trying to catch him.
"Look, Riley," Lucas calls out when he sees her walking up to his driver door. "I already embarrassed myself enough for one day. So if we can just get this whole thing, I greatly appreciate it."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Riley says with a neutral expression.
"Riley, please. You're making this worse. I shouldn't have done what I did without learning a few important facts," Lucas utters, clenching his jaw.
"So you're saying that you shouldn't have asked me to coffee?" Riley repeats, trying to rattle him and maybe even flirt a little to see if Maya was on to something. Curse her!
"Yes! I already said that," Lucas grumbles, closing his eyes and trying to stay calm.
"Well, that's too bad. Because if you would have stayed to hear my side of things, you would've learned that I'm not taken. That guy you saw, his name is Farkle and he's one of my best friends," Riley mentions with a satisfied smirk.
"He's your friend?" Lucas restates with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, a friend. My best friend I've know since I was seven," Riley affirms with a more relaxed smile. "And this morning when you asked me out, I got flustered and I apologize for that. To be honest, I haven't been asked out in a while and as you know and saw, you took me by surprise. Now, I wasn't necessarily going to say yes, but you jumped the gun again and answered for me. Would you like to know what my answer was going to be?"
"You have nothing to apologize for. Like I mentioned before, I should have learned more about you before being so forward and so, I apologize too. I also apologize for reacting before waiting, it's one of my flaws. And yes, I would like to know your answer, whatever the decision," Lucas responds nervously.
"I was going to say or rather suggest that we take baby steps. Start slow and see where things go," Riley tells him in a gentle voice.
"Baby steps," Lucas nods agreement as a smile start to form on his lips. "I can work with that."
"Good," Riley blushes and feels a weird sene of happiness. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I'll stop by before my shift. If that's okay," Lucas proposes.
"That's fine. I'll see you then," Riley settles as Lucas's smile widens with excitement.
He gives Riley one last nod before starting his truck and driving away with a friendly wave as she giggles and waves back.
As the truck disappears, Riley's amazed by her willingness to see Lucas again, but at the same time she feels right about doing it. Maybe it was time to start over again and only time will tell.
And there you go folks! Please let me know what you think.
Thanks and until next time,
Missy xx
